Mac Book Pro for Autocad

If you are using software that supports AMD GPU acceleration (especially for rendering) then avoid the IRIS chipset. The CPU gain between the two i7's in minimal at best - and if you venture into video editing the Iris will be next to useless when compared to the 560

It's all about the graphics capability of having the separate graphics chip.

There is no reason that you can't upgrade the storage too. Remember, internal storage is the fastest performance option for handling large files, i.e., video files.

superjulio wrote:

Hmmm. So the best choice is the 15-in? I'm just worried about the difference in processor. Do you think the 2.8 GHz will be fine?

As I said before:

either one should fit your needs, with the 15" being a better choice.

If you are using Google Drive to sync your files it acts the same way as iCloud. Google drive uses your local drive to store your data as well as on Google's cloud.

Are you sure you are using cloud storage rather than cloud sync? If indeed you are using cloud storage this is not a very efficient or safe way to use your computer. You would be trusting your data to some third party remote server rather than managing your data locally and doing your own backups. And you would always need an Internet connection to work with your data. If your files are large and not stored locally you would spend a lot of time uploading and downloading files.

I agree with Csound1, 256GB storage is not enough storage to do much.

Not only would it not be all that significant if both i7 were quad core, the "faster" i7 is a dual core so any software optimized for multi core (most if not all modern 3D apps and graphic apps and video editing apps are) is going to make a huge difference. The Dual i7's are for longer battery life at the expense of power (I don't know why Intel just could not designate these as i5's or even i6's and prevent confusion but they didn't) the Quad i7's are you bang for the buck and the drain on the system when unplugged will be more, but if you leave the system plugged in it's not a problem at all (The battery stops charging when it is charged on Apple devices, you can't "overcharge" it when it's plugged in.

Keep in mind you can add an aftermarket GPU to most modern macs but I would stick with AMD GPU's if you use Apple Software and Nvidia seems to be more common outside of Apple software. I would not "mix and match" AMD and Nvidia cards though.

If you have software that can utilize a GPU exclusively (e.g. CUDA) then the CPU is almost doing no heavy lifting - however even in something like CUDA if the GPU RAM is exceeded in a card that card stops rendering and the software goes back to using the CPU.

Confused? Me too! I have a basic understanding of this but I work a lot in 3D - which I also have a basic understanding of.

I have requested that your posting be moved to the correct forum area:

Although both machines have too little storage either one should fit your needs, with the 15" being a better choice.

iCloud does not save space. you still will have insufficient storage space. iCloud is a synchronization hub, it is not storage space.

That's different. 🙂

The 15-inch is better all around. Like others have said, I would recommend getting that. Dual-core and integrated graphics are not even worth the money, to be honest.